In Tokyo, Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno represented UNCTAD at the UN Sustainable Development Group meeting. Discussions focused on mobilizing the full strength of the UN development system to tackle today’s challenges and get the #SDGs back on track. Photo: United Nations University

UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno is in Tokyo for the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (19–20 May), where senior leaders deliberate on current world affairs and megatrends. Photo: Public Relations Office of the Government of Japan

Trade and industrial production remained resilient into early 2026, but disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are weakening global momentum. Explore the outlook and what it will take to build a more resilient and stable global economy: https://ow.ly/Jc0X50Z15Rf

Developing economies increasingly drive global goods trade, but concentration remains high. Developing East Asia alone accounts for around 60% of developing-country exports, underscoring the rise of the global South and persistent regional imbalances. More: https://ow.ly/GYnO50Z169b

Trade surpassed a record $35 trillion in 2025, yet the global trading system is becoming more fragmented, regionalized and uneven. Understanding these shifts is critical to navitaging a more complex and less predictable global economy. Explore: https://ow.ly/4z4w50Z13hg

“Let’s count what matters. Let’s embrace these new metrics that complement GDP, and reveal the full picture of the challenges and opportunities our world faces at this extraordinary moment in history.” – UN Secretary-General António Guterres Full report: https://ow.ly/gxUU50Z0fUI

GDP has long been the world’s scoreboard for progress. Yet growth can still leave gaps in security, trust, opportunity & hope. Complementing GDP, a new UN framework proposes a broader dashboard to capture well-being, equity, sustainability & resilience. Read more: https://ow.ly/r28R50Z0fgv

Developed economies generate about twice as much waste per capita as developing ones. New data from UNCTAD’s Inclusive Growth Index highlights the urgent need to break the link between economic growth, resource consumption and waste. Dive deeper: https://ow.ly/4CyG50Z0bgB

Inclusive growth remains deeply uneven worldwide. Developed economies score nearly twice as high as developing ones, with Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark leading the way. Singapore and the UAE are the only developing economies in the top 30. More: https://ow.ly/544c50Z06TB

South-South cooperation isn’t just financial. While scholarships are mostly monetary, much support – training, aid, technical expertise – is non-monetized. More insights from the project on quantifying South–South cooperation for the #SDGs: https://ow.ly/I4v850YZt3Y

South-South cooperation goes beyond grants and loans. It also includes training, technical support, scholarships and policy exchanges. Developing economies can better measure these contributions through a voluntary UN-backed statistical framework. Read more: https://ow.ly/na6g50YZqfU

Tariffs rose sharply in 2025, but they have not been the main obstacle to trade over recent decades. The latest Global Trade Update shows non-tariff measures drive trade costs for most economies, exceeding tariffs in 88% of cases. Map disclaimer: https://ow.ly/X5gJ50YYjiR

Recently at the Yerevan Dialogue, Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno warned that geopolitical tensions, rising debt burdens and economic fragmentation are straining development cooperation – and called for urgent reform of the global financial architecture. https://ow.ly/zTq350YY6Lf

Cross-border services: Digital trade provisions on data flows, data protection, e-transactions and infrastructure are expanding. They reduce fragmentation and improve predictability, but restrictions risk limiting access and value chain participation. https://ow.ly/hPkO50YXBn1

Developed economies dominate exports of digitally deliverable services, while many least developed countries remain on the margins. Closing this gap requires targeted policy action as services increasingly drive value creation. More: https://ow.ly/3f3L50YX1aR

GDP alone cannot show whether lives are improving or whether progress can last. This week, the UN set out a new global blueprint with 31 indicators to track well-being, equity, sustainability and resilience. Take a deeper look: https://ow.ly/tzrj50YX0zw

Aligning trade rules or recognizing standards can significantly reduce unnecessary costs. In Africa, even limited regulatory cooperation could cut costs by 30–40% in agriculture and manufacturing. More in the latest Global Trade Update: https://ow.ly/BZw050YWYAo

Non-tariff measures protect health, safety and the environment — but unnecessary trade costs can and should be reduced. Solutions: greater transparency, stronger regulatory cooperation and more support for exporters. Explore the latest Global Trade Update: https://ow.ly/9PKp50YWYpL

Average tariff rates on Latin American exports more than doubled in 2025. Compliance with increasingly complex standards also becomes more costly. How to address this double burden disproportionately affecting developing regions? Global Trade Update: https://ow.ly/2KE150YWCUV

GDP alone doesn’t show if people are living well, if growth is harming the planet, or if opportunity is shared. The UN’s new report calls for measuring progress beyond GDP with broader indicators of well-being and sustainability. Explore: https://ow.ly/af8r50YWyNV

Economic output alone cannot show whether lives are improving or whether progress can last. Moving beyond GDP, the UN’s new global blueprint uses 31 indicators to track well-being, equity and sustainability. Take a deeper look: https://ow.ly/JkMN50YWhKv

GDP isn’t the full scoreboard for tracking progress. The UN now proposes 31 indicators beyond economic output – well-being, equity, resilience and more. “What we measure shapes what we value,” says UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno. https://ow.ly/Kmmf50YWezS

Non-tariff measures like regulations and standards now drive most trade costs, reshaping global trade and market access. For developing countries, the burden is double: tariffs plus complex rules. What could help level the playing field? Explore: https://ow.ly/hCnS50YW1y8

The AI investment surge could accelerate growth – or deepen global inequality. The challenge now is turning this shift into jobs, skills, innovation and development gains for all economies, not just a few. More from UNCTAD: https://ow.ly/uIxY50YVYAJ

UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno spoke on a panel discussion on “International Development Cooperation: Challenges and Prospects”. The event is part of the Yerevan Dialogue 2026, underway in Armenia on 5-6 May.

Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno today met with Robert Abisoghomonyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, during the Yerevan Dialogue 2026. The forum (5-6 May) aims to foster regional collaboration, resilience and innovative solutions amid global uncertainty.

Growing around 5.3% annually, services trade is outpacing goods and reshaping global trade. For developing economies, the challenge is no longer relevance but alignment: ensuring data, policy, regulation, and trade agreements keep up with change. More: https://ow.ly/yepM50YVrZF

For many developing countries, foreign investment brings jobs, technology & integration into global value chains. When it slows, concentrates or reroutes, the cost is felt at home. Acting Secretary-General Moreno's full statement to an expert meeting in Geneva (4–5 May): https://ow.ly/lOOB50YV4Ew

As AI investment surges, global gaps risk growing – an expert meeting in Geneva warns. UNCTAD is helping countries respond through policy frameworks, entrepreneurship support and the 9th World Investment Forum, set for 25–27 October 2026 in Doha, Qatar. Learn more: https://ow.ly/gBr050YUXaf

Over 1/5 of global greenfield project values ($270 bn+) went to data centres in 2025. But highly concentrated flows limit spillover effects. Policy should better link AI infrastructure investment to skills, innovation systems and local value creation. https://ow.ly/5olZ50YUzki

World Investment Forum 2026: Doha, 25–27 October, co-hosted with the State of Qatar. Under the theme “Investing in the future”, it brings together policy, capital and enterprise to drive sustainable, resilient and inclusive investment. Stay tuned: https://ow.ly/piJO50YUtux

From logistics and finance to design and marketing, services are changing how economies compete. For developing countries, this opens paths to diversification and growth – but only with the right skills, infrastructure and regulation. https://ow.ly/13Er50YUjm9

Прорыв в мировой финансовой системе: Borrowers’ Platform уже работает. Она устраняет пробелы в международной финансовой архитектуре, усиливает координацию, обмен знаниями и голос стран-заёмщиков. Подробнее: https://ow.ly/U5zK50YTwCw

Cumulation allows cross-border input sharing while keeping trade preferences. Yet, its use in sub-Saharan Africa remains low due to limited awareness, complex customs & high logistics costs. Addressing these barriers is key to unlocking regional value chains: https://ow.ly/yyOb50YTyxk

When trade regulations aren’t clear, costs rise and it’s harder to shape policies that benefit both women and men. Using digitalization and artificial intelligence, a joint UN initiative is helping improve transparency across The Gambia, Kenya, Namibia and Zambia: https://ow.ly/EcvY50YTw1y

How are leading investment promotion agencies deploying artificial intelligence, and what drives success? UNCTAD’s new report explores realistic pathways for adoption across different stages of digital maturity. https://ow.ly/yC8k50YTeQS

Peru: A new resolution adopts international sustainability reporting standards, citing recommendations from UNCTAD. The move promotes the credibility and comparability of reporting, and is part of broader efforts to align investment with sustainable development. Explore: https://ow.ly/YIS550YT7Kj

Bangladesh’s FDI remains concentrated in textiles, finance and power, with diversification into higher-value sectors like pharma, telecoms and ICT. Sustaining the shift will hinge on skills, infrastructure and stronger investor–local firm linkages. https://ow.ly/na9p50YSotq

Bangladesh attracted $1.77bn in FDI in 2025, signaling investor interest despite tighter conditions. UNCTAD analysis points to progress in strengthening the investment climate, as well as further actions needed to support diversification and resilient growth. More: https://ow.ly/75N750YS454

Investment reforms: Bangladesh's experience offers broader lessons for developing economies. In an uncertain global economy, countries need clearer entry points for investors, predictable rules, and strategies that build domestic capacity. Read more: https://ow.ly/e8qM50YRSuG

When tensions in the Strait of Hormuz lift oil prices, shocks ripple through plastics. Yet sustainable alternatives face nearly double the tariffs and fragmented standards. UNCTAD analysis highlights pathways to ease the green transition. Explore: https://ow.ly/sGeF50YRPEf

From oil to fossil fuel-based plastics, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are driving prices higher. But trade barriers still slow the shift to greener substitutes. UNCTAD examines the structural gaps behind this imbalance: https://ow.ly/EBnt50YREu5

History shows oil shocks driving up fossil fuel-based material costs over the last 25 years. With crude prices elevated due to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, what’s the impact on plastics this time? Dive into UNCTAD’s new analysis: https://ow.ly/PAio50YReFi

A disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is now a broader development risk. UNCTAD’s new dashboard brings together regularly updated indicators across shipping, energy, food and finance, tracking how shocks spread – and why early-warning data matters. More: https://ow.ly/qC1C50YR74O

With ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz down about 95% since 27 February, risks are compounding. UNCTAD’s new dashboard tracks how disruptions across shipping, energy, food and finance build and reinforce one another. Explore: https://ow.ly/m2cs50YQWEE

Coming up: UNCTAD capacity building in Lima, Peru, to promote sustainability in investment policies & business practices (28–29 April). This is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen sustainability reporting, helping align investment with #SDGs. Learn more: https://ow.ly/kGaZ50YQCQA

Dhaka: @UNCTAD & partners launch a report on Bangladesh’s Investment Policy Review implementation. Progress is clear, but longer-term structural reforms are needed as the country prepares for a smooth transition from the #LDC category. Full analysis: ow.ly/9JYW50YQrVN

Egypt’s national trade information portal is now live, offering one-stop access to import, export and transit rules. With support from UNCTAD, it aims to cut compliance costs and smooth trade in uncertain times. Learn more: https://ow.ly/GGp850YQ2I5

Um avanço na finance mundial: a Plataforma dos Tomadores já está em ação. Preenchendo lacunas na arquitetura financeira internacional, promove coordenação, troca de conhecimento e uma voz coletiva mais forte para os países tomadores. Saiba mais: https://ow.ly/tYWM50YPvAx

日前，“借款国合作平台”正式启动。该平台由成员国主导，联合国贸发会议担任秘书处。 平台为借款国——尤其是发展中国家——提供常设空间，促进协调与知识共享，在公共债务议题上提升集体话语权，更有效地参与国际金融体系。 详情请见：https://ow.ly/aUOT50YPvk2